In the case where an image photographed by a digital camera is printed from a home printer installed at a user's home, the image is generally input to a personal computer and printed by use of a printer driver of the personal computer. In some cases, a digital camera is connected directly to a printer for printing without involving a personal computer. In other cases, an image photographed by a digital camera is recorded in a recording medium such as a memory card, and a printer prints the image by reading the image stored in the recording medium.
A printer has been proposed for printing an image photographed by a digital camera by use of a home printer (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-259260). The printer includes a mount having a connection terminal corresponding to a connection terminal of the digital camera, and the digital camera is placed on the mount. The image is read from a recording medium inserted in the digital camera, and the printer prints the image. Furthermore, a system has been proposed for setting printing mode of a printer according to a state of a digital camera through detection of a state of a display unit or the power thereof (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-244585).
However, a user cannot print an image obtained by a digital camera at home if he/she does not use a personal computer or a printer. Even in the case where a user uses a personal computer or a printer, the user needs to set up the printer or a digital camera by himself/herself. Consequently, many users think that printing is troublesome.
For this reason, a service has been provided for image printing at DPE stores by bringing recording media storing images therein to the DPE stores. In addition, a service has been provided for enabling users to carry out printing without involving a store clerk by using printing order reception apparatuses such as that described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-501252 installed in DPE stores.
However, even for a print order using the printing order reception apparatus described above, a user needs to select an image to print and printing conditions such as a print size and quantity while using a screen of the apparatus. Therefore, a person who is not familiar with the printing order reception apparatus thinks that an operation for specifying the printing conditions is troublesome. Consequently, printing using the printing order reception apparatus is as troublesome as an operation for printing using a home printer.
The present invention has been conceived based on consideration of the above circumstances. An object of the present invention is therefore to enable a user to easily place a print order by using a printing order reception apparatus.